News from Play Asia:

Welcome to this week's Movie/Music news roundup, containing all new Japanese and Hong Kong Video and Music releases from this week listed at Play-Asia.com. Over 250 new items are covered in this week, including new J-Pop, Anime as well as Japanese, Hong Kong and Western movie releases and much more.

Here's a summary of all new releases that were published between Saturday, November 4th and Friday, November 10th If some specific item that you are looking for is missing, please don't hesitate to contact our customer service with your request.


J-Pop Music releases (117)
ENKA Music releases (35)
Anime Soundtracks & Drama CDs (18)
Video Game Soundtracks (6)
Hong Kong Version Music releases (11)
Hong Kong Version Movie releases (19)
Japanese Movies (6)
Non-Japanese Movies / Japanese Version (23)
Anime DVD releases (18)
J-Pop DVD releases (8)
Idol DVD (4)

More Info --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...9-en-84-n.html ...

Last week, GameSpot was brought a new bundle of joy in the form of Sony's PlayStation 3. The stork has arrived again, this time bearing Nintendo's Wii. Though the console isn't making its worldwide debut until November 19, On the Spot is giving gamers an advanced peek at what to expect from the anticipated console.

On schedule to be demonstrated are all three Nintendo first-party launch titles--Excite Truck, Wii Sports, and a little game subtitled Twilight Princess. Electronic Arts and Sega are also expected to provide some games for show.

Like last week's PlayStation 3 unveiling, GameSpot editors will be popping in and out of the studio, trying their hand (and arms) at the Wii and its motion-sensitive controller. Those watching the video live are also invited to submit questions via e-mail or through the video player's question submission form.

On the Spot's hands-on with the Wii is expected to run until 4 p.m., when GameSpot Tournament TV begins airing the Fatal Face-Off Mortal Kombat Armageddon competition.

Live Video Here ...

Last week, GameSpot was brought a new bundle of joy in the form of Sony's PlayStation 3. The stork has arrived again, this time bearing Nintendo's Wii. Though the console isn't making its worldwide debut until November 19, On the Spot is giving gamers an advanced peek at what to expect from the anticipated console.

On schedule to be demonstrated are all three Nintendo first-party launch titles--Excite Truck, Wii Sports, and a little game subtitled Twilight Princess. Electronic Arts and Sega are also expected to provide some games for show.

Like last week's PlayStation 3 unveiling, GameSpot editors will be popping in and out of the studio, trying their hand (and arms) at the Wii and its motion-sensitive controller. Those watching the video live are also invited to submit questions via e-mail or through the video player's question submission form.

On the Spot's hands-on with the Wii is expected to run until 4 p.m., when GameSpot Tournament TV begins airing the Fatal Face-Off Mortal Kombat Armageddon competition.

Live Video Here ...

Last week, GameSpot was brought a new bundle of joy in the form of Sony's PlayStation 3. The stork has arrived again, this time bearing Nintendo's Wii. Though the console isn't making its worldwide debut until November 19, On the Spot is giving gamers an advanced peek at what to expect from the anticipated console.

On schedule to be demonstrated are all three Nintendo first-party launch titles--Excite Truck, Wii Sports, and a little game subtitled Twilight Princess. Electronic Arts and Sega are also expected to provide some games for show.

Like last week's PlayStation 3 unveiling, GameSpot editors will be popping in and out of the studio, trying their hand (and arms) at the Wii and its motion-sensitive controller. Those watching the video live are also invited to submit questions via e-mail or through the video player's question submission form.

On the Spot's hands-on with the Wii is expected to run until 4 p.m., when GameSpot Tournament TV begins airing the Fatal Face-Off Mortal Kombat Armageddon competition.

Live Video Here ...

The final day before the long-awaited launch of Sony's PlayStation 3 in Japan has dawned. Now, with only hours remaining until shops open their doors to start selling the next-gen console, GameSpot took it to the streets to see what the situation was. Were lines forming, as they had in the US? Had the Sony faithful turned out in droves? Or--confronted with fewer and fewer consoles on sale--had gamers given up and stayed home?

The lights of Akihabara.
The first place GameSpot checked out was the Shinjuku Yodobashi Camera store, where back in 2004 Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi showed up to celebrate the official launch of Sony's first foray into the portable gaming market, the PlayStation Portable. Though one would expect to see a line of gamers forming as early as 4 or 5 p.m., security guards were constantly breaking up any groups of people, telling them that they were not allowed to loiter during business hours as it creates problems for neighboring stores.

But as time passed into late evening, crowds nonetheless began to gather around the store, and by 8 p.m., the mass eventually grew to over 300 people. Approximately an hour later, Yodobashi staff began directing the crowds into an orderly line, and were expected to start giving out numbered tickets for rights to a PlayStation 3.

Getting a closer look.
A similar scene was spotted at the Akihabara Yodobashi Camera store, but in a larger scale. At 9 p.m., the store was already teeming with more than 600 people. Although the store staff was not ordering people to create an orderly line, customers took the duty into their own hands and were already lined up around the block waiting for the store to open--the line was organized into orderly rows of two people side by side. Here, there were a considerable number of homeless people lining up as well. Most likely, they are being hired by scalpers to pick up PS3 units.

While the Yodobashi Camera chain drew gamers in good numbers, other stores, including the Shinjuku Bic Camera, Sakuraya, and Akihabara Sofmap, had absolutely no people lining up as of late evening.

With the initial shipment of PlayStation 3 units expected to be 80,000 units--or lower--for the whole country, many of the stores decided that they just don't have enough units to sell at launch and have decided to sell them through raffle drawings Saturday morning. At those places, no lines were formed as of press time. However, it will likely be a different scene tomorrow morning, when the stores start handing out the raffle tickets. ...

An official headset for trash-talking during online play on PS3 is in the pipeline, but before it arrives Sony has told CVG that you'll be able to configure Blutooth mobile phone headsets to work with PS3 in much the same way.

In the PS3 firmware is a Blutooth Settings menu where, as on-screen text explains, you will be able to configure link-ups with headsets, microphones and headphones that are Blutooth compatible.

This means that instead of waiting for official peripherals, you can get your PS3 talking online, among other things, using products already available.

It is not yet known when official Sony headsets will arrive, but we'd expect not too long after US launch. Check back all next week for our massive hands-on impressions of severeal PS3 games as well as the mighty hardware.

Via CVG ...

A PSP version of PS3 car carnage mash-up Full Auto 2: Battlelines is in the pipeline.

Developed by Deep Fried Entertainment, the handheld iteration retains the vehicles-decked-out-with-weapons-and-armour theme and drops players into destroyable environments where they race against and destroy the opposition.

The destructible element plays a key role in the gameplay, with the destroyable environments dynamically changing track conditions to block competitors and opening new paths. And opponents can be crushed by falling debris caused by exploding missiles. Ouch.

In addition, the PSP version features exclusive content. This includes a new 56-event story mode for single-player, 15 cars designed for the handheld outing that you can get behind the wheel of, new weapons and multiplayer modes - supporting 1 to 4 players - created specifically for Full Auto 2 on the machine.

Full Auto 2: Battlelines is down for a spring 2007 release. And yes, those screenshots are apparently from the PSP game.

News and screens at CVG ...

Microsoft may be happy with a second Christmas without next-generation competition from Sony, but it wants to go head-to-head with its rival so that consumers can finally compare the two console offerings.

Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz, Xbox boss Neil Thompson also stated that he only sees Nintendo's Wii as a product that will compete with 360 in the most basic sense this Christmas – as a product that may steal consumer pounds.

When asked about Microsoft's reaction to the news that the PS3 would not launch in Europe this side of Christmas, Thompson replied: "In some ways it would have been good if it had, because then people could have really made the comparison. Sometimes it's worse when you're fighting a myth, than when you're fighting reality."

"In a lot of ways we'd like people to put the system side-by-side and see whether people want a platform where they're paying for Blu-ray straight away. Is Blu-ray that important to you that you want to buy into that platform right now and spend GBP 500 doing that? Or do you want a gaming system that has more high-definition gaming content today, has a better online service and provides you the choice of whether you want to upgrade to the next-generation of DVD platform in the future?"

"We would have quite liked to have gone head-to-head on those issues because we feel very strongly that we have an incredibly compelling offering," he added.

And despite Nintendo warning retail channels its Wii console may sell out in Europe this Christmas, Thompson is adamant that the new system will not encroach on Microsoft's space.

"It has the potential of taking consumers spend and wallet share away from us in general, but at a product comparison level it's not competing with us at all. It's an innovative, low-definition product," said Thompson.

"People will make a clear decision as to whether they want that sort of product – a kids toy – or they want high-definition gaming and entertainment and all that it brings."

"They are only a competitor in so much as they'll take consumers pounds and I'd like to have as many of those as I can," he concluded. ...

Microsoft may be happy with a second Christmas without next-generation competition from Sony, but it wants to go head-to-head with its rival so that consumers can finally compare the two console offerings.

Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz, Xbox boss Neil Thompson also stated that he only sees Nintendo's Wii as a product that will compete with 360 in the most basic sense this Christmas – as a product that may steal consumer pounds.

When asked about Microsoft's reaction to the news that the PS3 would not launch in Europe this side of Christmas, Thompson replied: "In some ways it would have been good if it had, because then people could have really made the comparison. Sometimes it's worse when you're fighting a myth, than when you're fighting reality."

"In a lot of ways we'd like people to put the system side-by-side and see whether people want a platform where they're paying for Blu-ray straight away. Is Blu-ray that important to you that you want to buy into that platform right now and spend GBP 500 doing that? Or do you want a gaming system that has more high-definition gaming content today, has a better online service and provides you the choice of whether you want to upgrade to the next-generation of DVD platform in the future?"

"We would have quite liked to have gone head-to-head on those issues because we feel very strongly that we have an incredibly compelling offering," he added.

And despite Nintendo warning retail channels its Wii console may sell out in Europe this Christmas, Thompson is adamant that the new system will not encroach on Microsoft's space.

"It has the potential of taking consumers spend and wallet share away from us in general, but at a product comparison level it's not competing with us at all. It's an innovative, low-definition product," said Thompson.

"People will make a clear decision as to whether they want that sort of product – a kids toy – or they want high-definition gaming and entertainment and all that it brings."

"They are only a competitor in so much as they'll take consumers pounds and I'd like to have as many of those as I can," he concluded. ...